Diabetes is a widely known disease that affects a human body's ability to produce insulin. Insulin is produced and used by the human body to regulate blood glucose levels. If the human body does not produce adequate amounts of insulin, insulin must be introduced into the human body artificially. Insulin is commonly introduced into the human body by injection. Typically, the amount of insulin needed by the human body to regulate blood glucose levels determines how often an injection is required. If large amounts of insulin are needed by the human body, a diabetic patient will require a number of daily injections. To alleviate the requirement of multiple daily injections or to escape the need for injections altogether, an insulin pump can be utilized by the diabetic patient as a substitute for injections. Insulin pumps contain a supply of insulin that is pumped directly into the human body at a continuous level on an intermittent basis. The insulin pump normally supplies insulin to the human body through a tube. One end of the tube is attached to the insulin pump and the opposite end is attached to a needle or cannula that is inserted under the diabetic patient's skin, typically on the abdomen. An adhesive patch is placed over the area where the needle or cannula enters the skin and is used to ensure the needle or cannula remains in place under the skin. The tube, needle or cannula, and adhesive patch create a tubular assembly. The tubular assembly is commonly known as an infusion set.
Insulin pumps are small enough to be worn by diabetic patients under clothing and are typically clipped to a belt or waist band. At times, however, the insulin pump will have to be removed from the waist area. For example, because the amount of insulin needed by the human body is monitored by the diabetic patient, the diabetic patient needs to be able to read the output monitor of the insulin pump to ensure that the proper dose of insulin is being delivered. At the same time, the diabetic patient does not want to remove the needle or cannula from under the skin or disconnect the tube from the pump or needle or cannula in order to move the pump into a position to read the monitor. Conventional infusion sets include tubing of sufficient length to allow the diabetic patient to move the insulin pump to a comfortable reading location without disconnecting the tube from the insulin pump or needle or cannula. While there are occasions when the insulin pump must be removed from the patient's abdomen and the additional length of tube is required, much of the time the insulin pump is positioned at the diabetic patient's waist. The additional length of tube poses a potential hazard, as it can become snagged on objects around the home, office, etc., which may cause the needle or cannula to be removed from the patient. In an attempt to alleviate the problem of catching the tube on an object, a diabetic patient may coil the excess tube and keep the coiled tube close to the insulin pump. This coiling of the tube may lead to kinks in the tube, causing an interruption in the flow of insulin.
Therefore, a need exists for a retractable reel that can be used with the tube of an infusion set and an insulin pump to ensure that excess tube can be stored securely. The secure storage of the excess tube will help to alleviate the possibility of catching the excess tube on an object as well as prevent a tube from becoming kinked or otherwise damaged in a way that would compromise the flow of insulin into the patient'body.